What Causes A Hearing Loss?
The greatest cause of hearing loss is ageing. Other causes are prolonged exposure to loud noise, certain types of illness, ototoxic medication, heredity, middle ear pathology, or ear wax. The main types of hearing loss are Sensory Neural and Conductive. Sensory Neural loss, the most common type, occurs in the inner ear and interrupts the transmission of sound through the cochlea or auditory nerve. Conductive loss occurs when the transmission of sound through the outer ear or middle ear is interrupted. Many Conductive impairments can be treated medically. A Mixed loss is a combination of Sensory Neural and Conductive.
How Long Should I Wait Before I do something About My Hearing Loss?
Don’t wait. The longer a person waits to correct their hearing loss the longer it will take to retrain the brain to recognize speech sounds. The brain must be stimulated by speech signals. If it is deprived of these signals, it “forgets” how to recognize certain sounds. “If you don’t use it you will loose it.”
Should I Get One or Two Hearing Aids?
Our brain “hears” better with two ears. In noise, our brain cancels out some of the noise by comparing the signal from both ears. The brain cannot do this comparison unless it receives two signals at equal levels. Another advantage to amplifying both ears is being able to locate sounds.
I Can Hear But I Don’t Understand?
Most hearing loss occurs gradually, usually affecting the high frequencies first. Speech has two main components, vowels and consonants. Vowels are the loudest and occur in the low frequencies. They contain about 70 percent of the volume of speech but only about 30 percent of the information we need for intelligibility. Conversely, consonants occur in the high frequencies. They contain only 30 percent of the volume of speech (they are soft) but have 70 percent of the intelligibility. A person with a high frequency loss may be able to “hear” low frequency vowels, but not be able to “hear” the consonants. The individual will get words mixed up and may complain that people “mumble”.
Why Are Hearing Aids So Expensive?
There are many factors which determine the cost of a hearing aid. A basic analog hearing aid has not really changed in price in over 30 years. An in-the-ear hearing aid back then was about $500-$600 dollars, the same price as it is today. As inflation has increased, manufacturing costs have decreased for this type of hearing aid. New technology has advanced over the years giving improved sound and therefore, providing better comprehension. Some of these improvements include programmability, sound processing, feedback reduction technology, and directional microphones. These advancements cost manufacturer’s money for research and development, which are passed on to the consumer. Another reason is the size of the hearing aid. Smaller hearing aids require smaller components. Small components are more expensive to manufacture. More than 31.5 million Americans have
Does insurance cover the cost of hearing aids?
Medicare does not cover the cost of hearing aids. In fact, few insurance plans offer hearing aid benefits. If you do have hearing aid coverage, we will assist you in obtaining direct reimbursement from your insurance company.
What are "open-fit" style hearing aids?
Open-fit style hearing aids are miniature behind-the-ear devices that are virtually invisible when worn and possibly the most comfortable hearing aids available. Open-fit hearing aids are worn mostly by people with high frequency hearing loss. A somewhat common problem for people with this type of hearing loss is experiencing a "plugged up" feeling or barrel effect when wearing traditional hearing aids. Open-fit hearing aids virtually eliminate this by leaving the ear canal open to hear some sounds naturally. These hearing aids only give you amplification in the frequencies that you need help in. Sophisticated digital circuitry allows this to work with essentially no feedback. A thorough hearing test will determine if you are a candidate for this style of hearing aid.
How do I know if I have a hearing loss?
Most hearing loss occurs gradually, so the symptoms are often difficult to recognize. It might be time to consult a Professional if you are experiencing one or more of the following problems:
- People seem to be mumbling
- You have to strain to hear when someone talks or whispers
- You have difficulty hearing someone call from behind or from another room
- You need to watch a speaker's lips more closely to follow conversation
- Following a conversation is difficult when you're in a group of people, like a meeting or at church
- You have to turn up the volume on the TV or radio
- You have problems hearing clearly on the telephone
- It's hard to hear in noisy environments, for example in a restaurant or in a car
- You have begun to limit you social activities due to difficulty hearing and communicating
- Family, friends, or colleagues mention that they often have to repeat themselves
What is an audiogram?
An audiogram is a visual representation of your actual hearing. It usually measures hearing graphically at the frequencies 250Hz 500 Hz 1000Hz 2000Hz 4000Hz 6000Hz and 8000Hz. The decibel level at which you hear at each frequency determines whether your hearing in the normal range or if you exhibit a loss. Why should I wear hearing aids?Hearing loss is one of the most common conditions in the world. Most hard-of-hearing people can benefit from modern hearing aids, as they can significantly improve the users ability to understand speech in most listening situations.Will my hearing aids be noticeable?The new digital technology allows manufacturers to produce a hearing device which is significantly smaller than the hearing aids of the past. Hearing aids come in many shapes, sizes, and even colors; many almost invisible to the naked eye. Depending on the severity of your loss your audiologist may be able to fit you with an aid so small, you will be the only one who knows it is in your ear!My doctor says I have nerve damage will a hearing aid help me?The nerve damage you are referring to is most likely called Sensorineural Hearing Loss, this kind of nerve damage is the most common type of hearing loss that will benefit from hearing aid. |
